God of Death
by Superpsychogeek
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki has transferred schools. Not by choice anyways. His dad decided that Ichigo needs a change of scenery, and for good reason. Only a month after the Quincy War, and Ichigo has remained tense, too used to nearly constant battles. So, Isshin figured Ichigo could reconnect with his old friend, Hiyori Iki. But trouble has a tendency of following both of them.
1. Chapter 1

The car ride had been silent the entire time, which was fine by Ichigo. He didn't bother to watch the passing scenery, content with leaning against the window with his eyes closed.

Ichigo was a little angry at Isshin for forcing him to transfer schools, but at the same time, he was grateful. His father had decided that Ichigo needed a change of scenery, and sent him off to another school. Ichigo did agree that a change of pace would be nice-the war against the Quincies had kept him tense, afraid of any future battles-but doing all this without even telling him until the last possible minute had really ticked him off.

"You can't still be mad at me," Isshin spoke cheerfully.

Ichigo gave his father a one eyed glare, knowing that would be enough of an answer.

Isshin acted oblivious to this and continued on. "Just because I won't be there to punish you, doesn't mean you can get out of shape or start misbehaving."

Ichigo forced himself to suppress a sigh and opened his eyes. "Even though you said hollow attacks aren't as frequent as home, doesn't mean I'm not going to deal with them when they do show up. And why the hell would I start acting like a delinquent? My hair already gives me that image, no point in proving it true." He paused before adding, "Where am I staying anyways?"

A smile creeped out on Isshin's face. A shiver went down Ichigo's spine. He was suddenly afraid of the answer.

"You remember your friend Hiyori, right?"

A picture of the blonde, loud mouthed vizard flashed in Ichigo's mind, much to his confusion. The thought of living with her until he graduated scared him, but what confused him was that she lived in Karakura, and they left earlier that morning.

"Not that one," Isshin groaned. "I know its been a while since you last saw her, but you couldn't have forgotten your friend already."

"Iki?" Ichigo finally asked, remembering his childhood friend. Isshin's smile told him the answer. "You dumbass. Its been over six years since we last saw them, and you expect me to think of her first?" This new information did make Ichigo happier though. It had been far too long since they last saw each other. They hadn't seen each other since Masaki's funeral. By then, seeing each other was a painful reminder of who they lost since it had been Masaki that introduced the two families and kept them together.

"They had called a few weeks ago," Isshin stated. "They wanted to reconnect since it's been a long time. Sayuri mentioned Hiyori was hit by a bus over the winter. S-"

"Is she alright?" Ichigo interrupted, wishing he had known about this sooner. He didn't let that bother him too much. He had no way of knowing.

"She came out of the accident unscathed," Isshin confirmed, much to Ichigo's relief. "Except she gained a habit of falling asleep at random times. Sayuri was getting worried because apparently Hiyori is always running off doing who knows what. I mentioned that maybe you could come over for the rest of the school year, especially since 'you've been stressed out lately.'" He did a one handed air quote, indicating the lie he told. "They loved the idea, and helped me with the transfer papers. By phone of course."

"So basically you want me to be her bodyguard," Ichigo guessed.

"I'm not so sure Sayuri and Takamasa fully understand what's going on with their daughter."

Ichigo stared at his father for a moment, before shrugging it off. He's learned that if his dad wanted to share something-about his past or anything else-Ichigo would have to wait for the right time before he got the chance to learn. There's no point in trying to force the truth out of him.

He leaned against the window again, thinking about Hiyori. He vaguely remembered what she looked like. He remembered brown hair and her magenta eyes, but that was almost it. He knew she was a year younger then him, and was taught to be 'lady-like', but her true self wasn't like that at all. Even at the young age of nine, Hiyori had learned that it would be best not to let her mom know what she was truly into.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile, at least a little. He had missed her greatly, and spending time away from home will help him relax. He just had to hope that no hollows or any other unwelcome guests showed up.

Then he groaned, realizing the hell he was gonna get from his friends when he gets back. He left them without a word because of his father. He's going to beat the crap out of his dad the next chance he got.

Hiyori was currently at Kofuku and Daikoku's upstairs in their shop, trying to help Yukine with his homework. Key word: trying. The news she heard from her parents that morning had kept her distracted all day, unable to contain her excitement.

"Hiyori, are you alright?" Yukine looked up from his work. He was still confused on the question he was working on, and Hiyori's distracted 'help' wasn't doing its job.

"Mm hmm," she nodded, attempting to cover her smile.

Yato-who was previously lying underneath the table-sat up and pushed Yukine's homework onto the floor.

"Hey!" Yukine protested and moved to pick them up.

"C'mon, tell us what's up," Yato pleaded, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Yukine sat back down and stared expectantly at Hiyori, waiting for the answer.

Hiyori noticed that it was quiet downstairs in the shop, but ignored it. "Okay," she surrendered. "Its just that a friend of mine is coming over, and is going to spend the rest of the school year with my family!"

Yato lied back down, bored with the conversation already. "That's it? I thought it would've been something interesting. OW!" he shouted when Hiyori gave him a quick kick.

"Be nice," she scolded. "I'm only excited because I haven't seen him in over six years."

"Woah, that's a long time," Yukine said. "When's he getting here?"

"He's supposed to show up later today. He lives in Karakura Town, which is about a day drive. Mom said that he and his dad left this morning, so he can start school tomorrow."

"Karakura, huh?" Kofuku broke through the conversation, entering the room alongside Daikoku.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Hiyori asked at the same time Yukine asked, "What's wrong with Karakura Town?"

Daikoku shot Hiyori an apologetic look as Kofuku ignored her question, only answering Yukine's. "There's nothing wrong with Karakura," her voice was serious, so all four listened carefully. Not even Daikoku or Yato knew what was wrong, so they remained as curious as Hiyori and Yukine. "Its just that the last few years the gods have nicknamed it 'the Town for Shinigami'."

"Shinigami?" Hiyori suddenly remembered the 'Black One' her grandmother saw before she passed away. Yato had told her it was a Shinigami, but there was nothing that could be done to stop it.

"A town for death gods," Daikoku translated, rubbing his chin in thought. "Why would there be a whole town for them?"

Kofuku shrugged. "The gods don't understand why, but almost two ago, the entire town fell asleep before disappearing. When they were gone, what could be considered an army for the Shinigami came, and it looked like a battle happened."

"Did the gods not get involved with the fight?" Yukine asked, noticing Kofuku's wording.

"No," Yato spoke up. "There's an unspoken agreement that Shinigami don't get in our business, and we don't go in theirs. Chaos might happen if we did."

"All I know is that Shinigami are on a whole other level to the gods," Daikoku added.

"Are you saying they're stronger?!" Hiyori exclaimed, surprised.

He shook his head. "Not really. What I meant was, Shinigami aren't gods like Kofuku, Yato, Tenjin or Bishamon. They're gods, but they aren't born from wishes or anything like that. They don't rely on believers to exist."

"Why are you telling us this?" Hiyori asked. Gasping, she demanded, "You don't think he's a Shinigami. do you?! He's completely human!"

Kofuku laughed, ignoring Hiyori's anger. "I've never heard of a human/Shinigami hybrid. I just thought it was funny that your friend was coming from a town that recently caught the gods' attention, that's all. What's his name, anyways?"

"Ichigo," she answered.

"Strawberry," Yato snorted, receiving kicks from Hiyori, Yukine and Daikoku. "OW! Stop abusing me!" he wailed.

Ignoring him, they continued on with the conversation. "Why's he coming here?" Yukine asked.

"According to his dad, Ichigo's been getting pretty stressed lately. He's falling behind in school and always getting into fights."

"So he's a delinquent, huh?" Daikoku asked, already thinking of ways to punish him if he caused them any troubles.

"No he's not!" Hiyori protested. "He has bright orange hair, which has always gotten him into trouble. Its all natural. He has to fight back so he won't get hurt."

They all doubted it, but decided to not pursue the topic any more.

Yato suddenly remembered that Hiyori said she hadn't seen Ichigo in six years. "Hey, how come you haven't seen him in a while?"

Hiyori's mood sobered up immediately. She rested her head against her hand as she considered answering. Finally, she said, "The last time I saw him was on the funeral for his mother."

Everyone remained quiet, unsure on how to react. They were sure Hiyori was affected by the death-just by the way she reacted when talking about it-but they couldn't imagine how Ichigo must've felt.

"I don't really know how Masaki died," Hiyori continued absentmindedly. "Ichigo was with her when she died, but he wouldn't talk about it. I could tell he blamed himself though..." She paused, thinking. "There wasn't any news reports or any talk of how she died. It was eventually concluded as a mystery." She turned her head to stare at the table her elbow rested on. "Before her death, Ichigo was such a happy kid. Even though he's a year older, he always made sure to play with me, whether or not he was with any of his friends. But he also made sure I didn't get hurt. He was so protective. After Masaki died... he changed. His smile seemed to have disappeared forever. I remember how before the funeral-I heard he continued after too-he would pace where she died, as if waiting for her to come back. He wouldn't cry though, especially not in front of me or his younger sisters. I hope things have gotten better for him."

Silence filled the room for some time. After hearing that, sadness weighed everyone down, despite Hiyori being the only one that actually met Ichigo. How could no one feel bad for him? That happened six years ago, he would've been _nine_ when he lost his mom. And blaming himself over it would've only made it worse for him.

The silence was finally broken when Hiyori suddenly received a text. She pulled out her phone, and quickly read before replying. "That was my mom," she answered the unasked question. "Ichigo's supposed to arrive in about an hour, so she wants me to get back and make sure everything is ready. Bye guys!" She stood up and began walking down the stairs.

Just as she was about to leave the yard, Kofuku threw open the window and shouted, "HIYORIN!" Hiyori turned around in confusion. "Don't forget to bring Ichi to the shop! I want to meet him!"

Hiyori giggled at the nickname Kofuko already gave Ichigo. "Okay, I'll try!" she promised, before walking away.

Satisfied, Kofuko closed the window and turned around, only to see Daikoku giving her an annoyed look.

"What?" she asked innocently, as if she wasn't the goddess of poverty and misfortune.

Unbeknownst to all, a certain someone considered trash by all who know his true self, had been listening in on the conversation.

"Well, Father, what do you think of Hiyori's friend?" Nora-who, with her 'Father' was known as Mizuichi-asked.

Koutu Fujisaki rubbed his chin in thought as his other hand rested against the tree. "Its hard to say. It would be quite interesting if this Ichigo would be a Shinigami. He might have the power to destroy the gods, or at least the key."

"And if he doesn't?"

Fujisaki chuckled darkly. "Then we'll have to get rid of him if he gets in the way."


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark by the time Ichigo and Isshin arrived at the Iki household. Ichigo stepped out of the car and stretched, before walking to the back of the car and grabbing all of his bags, filled with everything he would need for the rest of the year. Isshin came out and helped Ichigo carry everything, before walking to the door and ringing the doorbell.

They could hear running inside before the door was thrown open.

"Ichigo!" Hiyori exclaimed, pouncing on her friend.

Ichigo was forced to drop his bags before catching his friend in a hug. "Hey Hiyori," he greeted.

"Aren't you going to give your Uncle Isshin a hug too?" Isshin had also dropped Ichigo's bags and had his arms spread out, waiting for a hug.

Ichigo rolled his eyes while Hiyori giggled, giving Isshin a quick hug too. She knew he wasn't really her uncle, but he always insisted that she called him that. "Its great to see you both," she smiled, trying to contain her joy. She helped the two pick up Ichigo's bags and led them inside.

Ichigo and Isshin was greeted by Sayuri and Takamasa's smiles. "Ichigo, Isshin, its great to see you again," Takamasa nodded, smiling gently.

"Hiyori, why don't you show Ichigo to his room while we catch up with Isshin," Sayuri said.

"Okay, mom. Let's go Ichigo." They both collected the bags Isshin had been holding and headed down the hall. Once they entered the guest room, Ichigo precariously dropped everything on the floor while Hiyori put everything she was holding a little more to the side to avoid getting it in anyone's way.

Hiyori then sat down on the chair while Ichigo sat on the bed. Awkward silence soon followed. Having not seen each other in such a long time would definitely make it hard for them to find something interesting to talk about.

As they sat in silence, the two found themselves studying each other to see if anything had changed since the last time they saw each other. When Hiyori opened the door to let them in, the first thing she noticed was how tall Ichigo was. He was easily taller than her parents, even Daikoku seemed shorter, if only by a few inches. She was glad to see that Ichigo had kept his hair orange though, meaning no matter what anyone said, he wouldn't care. Studying his face though, Hiyori could see a phantom of a scowl, as if he was forcing himself to relax, and allow himself to smile. She began to doubt that she could get Ichigo to smile throughout his visit. Though she wouldn't admit it, Ichigo had a strange smell coming from him. She wasn't sure how to describe though, the best she would be able to come up with is that it was a mix of two things, though she couldn't figure out what.

Ichigo on the other had was surprised to see how short Hiyori was. Among his friends, only Orihime, Rukia and Toshiro were shorter. Of course, if he brought up his friends, Ichigo knew it wouldn't be too good of an idea to bring up the last two, just in case. Instinct begged him to be careful around Hiyori and what he told her.

"You've gotten tall," Hiyori was the first to break the silence, not wanting to start off their reunion with awkward silence.

"You stayed short," Ichigo commented, causing Hiyori to stick out her tongue. They laughed, which made the awkwardness shatter, much to their relief. Hiyori was pleased to see she got Ichigo to laugh. Maybe it won't be too hard to get him smiling.

"So, I heard you've been getting into fights a lot," Hiyori changed the topic. "Is that true? Why?"

Ichigo gestured to his hair. "Everyone will forever think I'm a delinquent because of my hair. Its not like the fights are a problem, but it does get annoying." Though he didn't want to, Ichigo lied pretty easily. The fights – _wars_ \- he's taken part of was not only annoying, but nerve-wracking, to an extent. After everything that's happened, how could no one be stressed over it? "I heard you got hit by a bus a few months ago," he continued, leaving his thoughts alone. Now wasn't the time to dwell on them. "Not to be rude or anything," he quickly added.

Hiyori tilted her head to the side, wondering where he could've heard this. "Mom hired you to be my bodyguard, didn't she...?" she groaned, dreading the answer.

"I wouldn't say 'hired' since I didn't even know I was coming over until this morning, but yeah," Ichigo confirmed. "According to my dad, you've been falling asleep randomly, and you're mom was getting worried."

"But its gotten better!" Hiyori protested. "I don't do it as often as I used to."

"Apparently you've also been 'running off to who knows where.'"

Hiyori slumped in her chair, covering her eyes with her arm. "Okay, I guess that is true. I can see why she's getting worried now."

Ichigo chuckled. Hiyori's dad has never been the type of parent that wanted to know every detail in his child's life, Sayuri was enough like that that it would've been pointless if he was. Ichigo was grateful that his own parents were never like that.

The two continued talking. The conversation went into all sorts of directions, though they avoided talking about their shared habit of leaving their bodies to deal with monsters, a habit they hoped they wouldn't have to reveal to keep the other safe. They talked for another half an hour before they were called back to their parents. Isshin was about to leave, and wanted one last goodbye.

When they entered the living room though, he was nowhere to be found.

"Where's-" Hiyori started, but was interrupted by screaming.

"AHHH!" Ichigo sighed in annoyance and easily sidestepped his father's attack, stepping closer to Hiyori to keep her out of the way. Isshin crashed into the wall and muttered, "you're in good hands Hiyori," before crumpling to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Takamasa asked, looking down at his guest. Sayuri was inspecting the wall, making sure it wasn't cracked or ruined in any way.

"He'll be fine," Ichigo assured the doctor. "This happens all the time at home."

"You're dad fights you like that all the time?!" Hiyori exclaimed.

"I gotta keep my boy in top shape!" Isshin bounced into the air as if nothing happened. He walked towards Ichigo and patted him on the shoulder. "Be good, my boy. I have to get going," he nodded, before waving to everyone and walking out the door, slamming is shut behind him.

"You weren't kidding when you said he was fine," Hiyori said after the engine of the car had faded in the distance.

"I wouldn't have a reason to joke about that," Ichigo commented, taking small relief now that he wouldn't have to worry about his dad randomly attacking him for a while.

After that little show, everyone sat down to eat, since no one had eaten dinner yet. As they ate, they talked about things that happened over the last few years. Then the topic changed to Hiyori promising to let Ichigo know everything he needed to, and would show him around the next day.

After they were finished eating, everyone agreed that they were getting pretty tired, so they got ready and went to bed. Alone in his room, Ichigo carelessly kicked his bags to the side, deciding to deal with them tomorrow after school. Lying on his bed, Ichigo pulled out his phone and noticed three missed calls from Orihime, and two from Kiego.

"Ichigo!" Orihime shouted when she picked up the phone. "I heard you transferred schools."

Ichigo nodded as he spoke. "Yeah, Dad made me transfer. Without telling me about it too," he growled out the last line.

Orihime giggled. "That doesn't surprise me too much. Tatsuki's very angry that you left without a word though."

"Yeah, I figured she would be. I left this morning, so its not like I had the chance too. Hey, where did you hear that I transferred?"

"Our teacher told us that you did," Orihime explained. "When we stopped by your house after school to see, Yuzu and Karin told us that they didn't know until this morning, but it was true."

"Dad's an idiot," Ichigo decided. "Sorry I didn't get the chance to say bye."

"That's alright. I'll tell everyone what happened."

"Thanks." Glancing at the clock, Ichigo realized it was starting to get late. "I'll let you go now. Bye, Orihime."

"Bye Ichigo."

After hanging up, Ichigo put his phone on his bedside table. He hated that he didn't get to say bye to his friends, but he figured that his dad must've thought it was really important for Ichigo to get here as soon as possible. The way Isshin acted before when in the car was all Ichigo needed to see his dad's intentions. Now, all he had to do was figure out why.

The next day, all day, Ichigo had found himself vaguely listening to the teacher drag on with the current subject, which made him grateful the day was almost over. Some of the things she said stuck around, but most of them bounced away. It was hard to pay attention when you could feel someone watching you.

It wasn't any of his classmates, Ichigo could say for sure. He looked around the class, and a few stared at his hair but the second Ichigo laid his eyes on them, they would turn around, pretending they weren't doing anything. Besides, Ichigo knew where the spies were coming from.

He could sense spirit energy of a spirit coming from a tree close by the window he happened to be sitting by. That one tried to stay out of his field of vision as soon as she realized he could see her. She was a spirit, and had a fair amount of spirit energy, almost coming close to rivalling his own. Even though Ichigo had seen her a few times, she would disappear from view almost immediately after, preventing him from getting a good look at her.

The other spy was in the hallway, peeking through the door window. Ichigo had no idea if this one was a spirit, he couldn't sense anything from her. Even someone wasn't spiritually aware, he could still sense something from them. But this girl, there wasn't anything. Which troubled Ichigo. Either she had so much that it was impossible to sense her's - like Ichigo, after his training in the Dangai - or she was something else. The latter sounded more likely, and was the better option, but it was impossible to say for sure. The only reason he had seen this one was because he saw a flash of pink while he was facing in the direction.

Knowing that they wouldn't leave him alone after stalking him for one day, Ichigo resolved to perform a konso on them. He would've preferred to do it now, but he didn't want to run off over something as small as that, and especially not on his first day at his new school. The only reason he would leave his body is if a hollow came, and he surprised that none had showed up yet.

Finally, the bell rang, indicating the end of the day. It also caused both of the stalkers to flee, much to Ichigo's relief. He hoped that meant they would leave him alone. For now at least.

He gathered his books and calmly walked out the door, ignoring the comments of others about his hair. He would've been surprised if they didn't talk about his strange hair, but it still annoyed him to no end.

Ichigo proceeded down the stairs and into the direction Hiyori's class was. He knew he needs to get to know the city, or else he would get lost every time he dealt with hollows, or anything else that would decide to rear its ugly head.

"Hey Ichigo," Hiyori greeted, standing outside the door. As soon as she saw him, she straightened, ready to leave. "You ready to get going?"

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded and followed Hiyori out the building. He assumed her friends had gone home,instead of tag along.

They explored almost every inch, anywhere Hiyori thought would interest Ichigo. She briefly considered bringing him to Kofuku's place, but thought that it would be too early. She hasn't told Ichigo about the gods, and she had no way of knowing how Ichigo would react to them. Plus, Hiyori has yet to warn Ichigo of Fujisaki, and introducing him to Yato before knowing the possible danger of meeting him may waver Ichigo's decision on staying here. She didn't want to scare him away yet.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Hiyori's neck stood up straight. She turned around, her eyes widening as a scream was caught in her throat. A large man was rushing towards her, a knife ready to pierce through her chest.

Had Hiyori not been there herself, she would've had trouble believing what happened next. Within the second of noticing the man charging her, Ichigo had grabbed the man's hand, the knife sliding between his fingers without piercing him. Hiyori glanced nervously at the knife, which was held only a few inches away.

"What do you think you're doing...?" Ichigo snarled. The man wiggled his arm, trying to free himself, but Ichigo's hand was like iron, refusing to give in so easily.

"That strength's inhuman," the man muttered before finally wrenching himself free. He swung carelessly, again attempting to reach Hiyori but Ichigo intervened, kneeing the man in the gut. The man grunted but ignored the pain. Ichigo quickly pulled the knife out of his grip and hid it in his back pocket in one quick motion. Ichigo elbowed him on the nose, causing him to stagger back and hold his nose in pain. Blood dripped between his fingers, which only angered him. He rushed forward, ramming his head into Ichigo's gut. Ichigo grabbed his opponent's hair and pulled him away. The fight continued as the two exchanged blows, but the only blood that was drawn was from the larger man's dripping nose, due to Ichigo removing the only weapon from play. Finally, an opening appeared and Ichigo was able to grab the man's collar and slam him into the nearby wall.

"You want to tell me what it was you planned to do?" Ichigo demanded, refusing to allow the older man to leave.

"Let go of me!" he screamed, spitting at Ichigo.

Ichigo clenched his teeth and threw him onto the ground. "I suggest you don't do anything rash like that again. Understood?"

Without saying a word, the man pushed himself away from Ichigo and moved to walk away.

The entire time, Hiyori watched the fight in silent amazement. "Wow, Ichigo! I didn't know you could fight that well! That was amazing!"

"Thanks." Ichigo rubbed his arm, one place where the man had struck him. Ichigo's immense spirit energy had done almost nothing to lessen the blow. The areas where Ichigo had been hit were likely to bruise. "I've had a lot of practice."

"Thanks so much for saving me! If you weren't here, I might've been killed!"

"Your welcome. I'm just glad you didn't get hurt."

Before the conversation could continue, someone screamed, "Stop! Don't do it!"

They whipped their heads in the direction the scream came and noticed the man Ichigo was fighting just moments before was about to walk across the street as a car was barrelling towards him. At the speed he was going, the car wouldn't be able to stop in time.

Without thinking, Ichigo and Hiyori rushed forward. Just before the man could've been hit, Ichigo grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him out of the way, dropping him on the ground.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo yelled at the annoyed man. "You lose one fight and you decide its time to die?! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

Hiyori was a little more gentle with him. "Why would you want to do something like that?" she asked, panting slightly. That was a little too close for comfort.

The man glared at the two until he suddenly went limp. Hiyori and Ichigo glanced at each other in confusion before turning back to the man. Hiyori gasped and Ichigo's eyes went wide. Underneath the man, an Ayakashi in the shape of a small snake slithered out. Hiyori saw that it was wearing a mask, just like the ones Ebisu used when he was controlling the monsters. Ichigo glared at the 'hollow', wishing he could deal with it at the moment. But as long as Hiyori was around - the gasp indicated to him that she could see it - he couldn't deal with it yet.

 _I've never seen a hollow do that,_ Ichigo thought. _I need to call Kisuke. Maybe he knows something about it._

Hiyori glanced at Ichigo and noticed that he was watching the Ayakashi leave. "You can see the Ayakashi too?" she asked surprised. Yato had said that only animals, infants, and people who've seen the Far Shore could see them. _Is there another exception no one mentioned?_ she wondered.

"Ayakashi?" Ichigo asked, wondering if that was another term for a hollow. He quickly banished the thought, after looking at the Ayakashi again before it could vanish from sight. It was definitely a monstrous spirit like a hollow, it was shaped like an animal and had a mask, but hollows were normally only black, with white being the only burst of colour, unless it was an Arrancar, which is pretty obvious that this wasn't one. Besides, Ichigo noticed that the spirit energy of the Ayakashi was different than one of a hollow. They were similar, but there was a slight difference. Choosing to play along with Hiyori, Ichigo said, "I've always been able to see them, I never knew they had a name though. What exactly are they?" He hoped to get more information on the Ayakashi before making any rash decisions.

"They're spirits, from the Far Shore," Hiyori explained. "They feed off of the negative emotions of humans to corrupt them."

"Far Shore?"

"The afterlife," Hiyori confirmed with a nod.

 _What?!_ Ichigo thought. _That thing can't be from the Soul Society. There's no way in hell the Shinigami would allow those things to run lose._ "And they normally possess people?"

"No, not normally. Someone would have to be controlling the Ayakashi in order for them to actually possess a human."

"So then someone must've been targeting you. Do you know who?"

Hiyori stayed silent, debating whether or not she should tell Ichigo. She didn't want to put him in danger, but she might have no other choice.

"I might have a clue on who it is," Hiyori reluctantly said.

Ichigo waited for her to say more, but she quietly looked away, unwilling to reveal.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

Hiyori shook her head. "You'll go after him, then you'll get hurt and possibly killed! I don't want that to happen!"

"Hiyori." Ichigo placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "I can promise you that whatever this guy can throw at me, I've been through worse. But if it makes you feel better, I won't purposely go after him." _Crap,_ Ichigo silently cursed himself. _This guy controls Ayakashi, and I just said I've been through worse. Why did I say that? I'm an idiot._

Hiyori looked up at him. After hearing that, Ichigo is convinced that he's been through worse? "What are you hiding...?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

It was Ichigo's turn to turn away. "We should probably head back to your house before your mom gets worried. Are we going to tell her about the attack?"

"No way! My mom would faint if we told her! Besides, my parents don't know about Ayakashi, and it just wouldn't be a good idea to tell them."

Hiyori led the way back to her house, upset that Ichigo had avoided her question. _Could he really be a Shinigami?_ she wondered, glancing at him through the corner of her eye. _But Kofuku said she never heard of a Shinigami/human hybrid. Maybe its something else..._

 **A/N**

 **Sorry if it feels rushed in anyway. I can't write very well, but hey, that's why I practice.**

 **Also, I can't math apparently. Its been eight years since Hiyori and Ichigo last saw each other, not six. Sorry about that.**

 **Anyways, I think that's it. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Alone in his room, Ichigo pulled out his phone and dialed Kisuke's number, instead of doing his homework he said he had. As he waited for him to answer, Ichigo glanced at the night sky through his window, thinking about the day;s events. Nothing else exciting had happened, and he and Hiyori avoided talking about the possessed man any further. Finally, Kisuke answered on the third ring.

"Hello Ichigo!" he greeted. "How's your new school?"

"I didn't call to talk about that," he stated. "What can you tell me about Ayakashi?"

Kisuke was silent on his side for a bit, before answering. "The term sounds familiar, but I can't place where. Why do you ask?"

Ichigo explained the fight with the possessed man. Kisuke didn't interrupt once, listening with interest.

"Hmm..." Kisuke sounded as if he was lost in thought. "I don't think I've heard of spirits possessing anybody, unless you want to count Shinigami and their gigai, or you with your own body. I'll look into it and see if I can find anything about Ayakashi and possession."

"Thanks."

"Ichigo, have you considered that maybe this person wasn't going after Hiyori?" Kisuke spoke up before Ichigo could hang up.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo questioned, confused. "Hiyori told me that she had an idea on who it was."

"Maybe he was going after you. Maybe he knows you're a Shinigami," Kisuke insisted. "He could've been testing you." After a minute, he spoke up again, "Well, that is just a thought. Goodnight Ichigo. I'll try to get you some information as soon as I can."

Ichigo hung up his phone and put it on his bed, thinking about what Kisuke said throughout their short conversation. Could it be true, that this guy knew about his powers? But Ichigo hasn't done anything to reveal them yet. Has he?

Shaking his head, Ichigo reached over to where he put his combat pass was, resting on the nightstand. Even though there weren't any hollows, he figured his could patrol for the night, get to know the area better. Its easier to explore with a bird's eye view anyways. Plus, he wanted to see if he could find those two spirits from before.

After he left his body, Ichigo quickly positioned his body to lie underneath the blanket, making it look like he was sleeping. No one was likely to bother him if he looked like he was asleep, and it was late enough for it not to be considered suspicious.

Ichigo slid open the window and stepped out into the night. He closed it behind it, leaving a crack just big enough for him to open the window again when he returned. Before leaving, Ichigo grabbed his phone in case Kisuke called. It wasn't likely, but the old Shinigami worked fast. There was no point in underestimating him.

Standing on the roof, Ichigo looked around for a few minutes, but he realized he could no longer sense the spirit energy of the only little spirit he could sense. It was as if she had disappeared completely. After debating whether or not he should still try to find her, he gave in and began his search. He began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, despite feeling like the search was fruitless. He hoped he would happen across either of them.

Ichigo's single zanpakuto rested on his back, in the form it had taken before his fight with Aizen, and he lost his powers. Yhwach had somehow taken away Ichigo's Quincy and hollow powers, which caused his zanpakuto to revert back to this form. The manifestation of his Quincy powers was gone forever, but the true Zangetsu - the one he used to refer to as his inner hollow - stayed. Despite his hollow powers being taken away, Ichigo was still able to bring out his mask, but it would only last for about fifteen seconds before it would shatter. What made it worse was that Ichigo wouldn't be able to take it out for awhile, unless if he purposely made it go away. He had no idea how long it could last in Bankai though, since he hasn't had the chance to use it since the Quincy War last month. He didn't understand why his hollow powers were like this, but Ichigo accepted it nonetheless.

As Ichigo jumped from each building, he noticed a lot of the Ayakashi now that he was aware of their presence. He wondered why he never saw them in Karakura Town, and hoped Kisuke would be able to give him an answer.

As time ticked on, he only grew more and more frustrated. Being unable to find those spirits ticked him off, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

 _ **I don't know why you're still trying,**_ Zangetsu spoke up.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, ignoring his zanpakuto. He still found it strange referring to his inner hollow as Zangetsu, but he was slowly getting used to it.

Ichigo stopped to look around. He wasn't sure why he was still searching either, but he didn't know what else he was going to do. He had yet to see a hollow, but he's seen plenty of Ayakashi. He wondered if maybe the two were enemies or something, and they avoided each other.

Through the corner of his eye, Ichigo noticed a human walking, despite the time. He turned his attention to it. The human's shoulder's were slumped forward, as if disappointed in something. An Ayakashi was riding on his shoulder, though he didn't seem to notice, or care.

Ichigo flash stepped towards him, stopping right in front. The sad dude continued walking, not stopping to look at the substitute Shinigami, but the green Ayakashi – shaped like a blob – turned its face in his direction and hissed, and cowered back. Ichigo reached forward with his left hand and plucked it off its victim. "What the hell _are_ you?" he asked, the Ayakashi struggling in his grip. As expected, it didn't answer.

Reaching back for his zanpakuto, Ichigo wondered if Shinigami could get rid of them. He groaned, realizing he never asked Hiyori if anyone got rid of them, or if they're just left alone to wander forever. He studied the Ayakashi, noting that it didn't wear a mask. Figuring it wouldn't hurt to try killing a small one, Ichigo grabbed his zanpakuto. Zangetsu didn't object to this, so, in one fluid motion, the bandages came undone around the sword just before the blade sliced through the Ayakashi. Immediately after cutting it, Ichigo released his grip and jumped back, watching as an explosion of red light illuminated the area, before imploding and disappearing, as if it was never there.

Ichigo rested his zanpakuto against his shoulder as he watched in shock. "Was that supposed to happen...?"

He stayed in his spot, expecting more to happen. When nothing else did, he turned around, about to leave, but the person in front of him stopped him from doing so. He stared down at her in shock, her expression matching his. Ichigo blinked a few times, scanning her as if to make sure she was real. Finally, the half-Shinigami shouted at the half-Ayakashi.

"Hiyori? What the hell?!"

 **A/N**

 **Again, sorry if this feels rushed. I went through so many versions of this chapter, unsatisfied until I created this one (hence the reason why it took so long). And I like this chapter anyways, I don't want things to drag out unnecessarily. I honestly don't think it would take more than a few chapters for them to discover each other's powers anyways.**

 **I also need to point out that for both Noragami and Bleach, I watched the dubbed version of the anime, which is why everyone is on a first name base with each other. I'm too used to it, and I think it would ruin my own flow with writing if I tried changing it (especially now). So if I accidentally say things like phantom. Soul Reaper, regalia, then I mean Ayakashi, Shinigami, Shinki.**

 **So anyways, thanks for reading my fanfiction guys. Hopefully these author's notes won't become to regular of a thing, but hey, I'm still new to actually using , so be patient with me for when I don't answer comments directly.**


	4. Chapter 4

Hiyori's gaze flickered between Ichigo and his large sword, which still rested on his shoulder. She took a cautious step back, her tail flicking nervously, as she watched Ichigo in complete shock.

"Hiyori? What the hell?!" Ichigo yelled in surprise, snapping Hiyori back to reality.

"Me?! You just killed an Ayakashi, but that's the job of the gods! What on earth are you wearing? What's with the giant sword? Since when could you leave your body?"

After her spew of questions, Hiyori took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Yelling wasn't going to get her any answers. Besides, this is still _Ichigo_ for crying out loud! She could still trust him, even if he is a death god.

Again, though, Hiyori couldn't stop her gaze from moving to Ichigo's sword. It didn't look like a shinki, though none of the weapons of the gods could ever be identified as one unless a god told you, or you saw it transform yourself. Still, this one seemed to radiate power, which was scary enough alone, but being held by Ichigo – who proved to be an excellent fighter – only seemed to increase its power. She knew he wouldn't attack her, but she couldn't help wanting to be cautious.

Ichigo noticed her gaze, and his shocked expression changed to a neutral one. "Sorry," he said, taking his sword off his shoulder and wrapping it in the clothe attached to the hilt, before sticking it to his back. Hiyori wasn't sure how he got it to stay, since there didn't appear to be a sheathe there, but she decided not to ask. They have more important things to discuss.

"How are you a Shinigami?" Hiyori finally asked, taking a few steps closer now that his sword was away. She wondered why he didn't call the shinki's name and let it back to a human form. Then she realized that maybe it wasn't one. The first Shinigami she met didn't seem to have a weapon, though they're form had been blurry. She wasn't quite sure why Ichigo didn't appear that way.

"Technically, I'm a Substitute Shinigami."

 _That must be why,_ she thought. "A Substitute?"

"Yeah, I'm human with Shinigami powers," Ichigo explained, before asking, "How did you know I was a Shinigami?"

There was no way Hiyori was going to tell him he smelled like death. Not the decaying corpse death – thank the gods – but like the first Shinigami she met. There scents were similar, though of course Ichigo had his own scent attached to him. No, the death smell attached to him was a peaceful one, it almost felt like it was welcoming you out of this world and into a better one. "I met a Shinigami before. Well, technically I didn't officially meet them, but Yato told me."

"Who?" Ichigo shook his head. "Okay, explain later. We might as well sit down, this is going to take a while. Do you want to go back to your house?"

"Actually I was thinking-" Hiyori interrupted herself, remembering what Yato said. _There's an unspoken agreement that Shinigami don't get in our business, and we don't get in theirs. Chaos might happen if we did._ "You know what, never mind. My house is good."

Ichigo gave her a curious look but didn't question her. The two began the way back to the Iki household, easily jumping across the rooftops.

Ichigo climbed into his temporary room, and noticed Hiyori's body on the floor. "What...?" he started in confusion.

"Sorry." Hiyori nervously scratched the back of her head. "I saw your Shinigami form from my window. I didn't think it was you so I came in here to see if it was, but when I noticed you weren't breathing, I panicked and chased after you."

Hiyori climbed through the window, closed it behind her, and fell into her body, as Ichigo did the same.

Now that they were both settled, they began to talk. Hiyori explained that after the accident, she gained a habit of slipping out of her body. Before she had no control of when it happened, but recently, she was able to do it when she wanted. She began hanging out with an lesser god named Yato and his shinki named Yukine. Hiyori could tell Ichigo was skeptical about the existence of gods, which she thought was ironic considering he was a type of one. She decided not to tell Ichigo about her losing her memory because of Rabo, the time she was kidnapped by Nora and Kuguha, and the time Heaven killed Ebisu, right in front of her. She had a feeling that news wouldn't make Ichigo happy. She did explain that the reason her family's hospital was having trouble was because of Ayakashi possessing the patients, and the reason they met up at her house instead of where she was thinking of before.

Ichigo told Hiyori about how he met a Shinigami named Rukia that gave him his Shinigami powers, and how he's become an ally of the Soul Society – where spirits of the dead go. Then he explained that Isshin had a feeling Ichigo was needed here, which the reason why Ichigo was here, not because of his fights and stress. That was simply an excuse they had for Hiyori's parents. Though, that didn't mean it was a lie. Ichigo explained that the Soul Society recently – only a month ago – had war against a group of humans called the Quincy, and due to Ichigo's experience in the past, he was tense, alert for any further battles. Upon Hiyori's question, Ichigo also explained that his sword wasn't a shinki, but a zanpakuto, which was basically an extension of a Shinigami's soul in a weapon form.

Hiyori immediately felt guilty after that, knowing that as long as Ichigo was here, Ayakashi wasn't the only evil thing Ichigo may be forced to fight. Fujisaki was an unpredictable variable, she had no way of knowing when he would attack. Hiyori was tempted to not tell Ichigo about him, but knew it was for the best.

"So he's the guy that had the Ayakashi possess that guy?" Ichigo asked.

Hiyori nodded. "Yeah. I'm still not sure why though..."

"I'll ask him tomorrow, then."

"What?! Ichigo, please don't. I don't want to have another incident like at the hospital. I have no idea what Fujisaki will do if you confront him."

Ichigo let out a long sigh, unwillingly agreeing. He refused to let anyone get hurt because of him. "Fine." He silently promised himself that if Fujisaki did decide to confront him, he was going to get a beating that would leave him crying until next year. "You said that gods and Shinigami aren't allowed to interact, right? Do you know why?"

Hiyori shrugged. "I wish I did. To be honest, I'm not sure if Yato or Kofuku know the reason, considering they didn't share it. Maybe Bishamon or Tenjin know. I'm going to ask them tomorrow." She wanted to say he should come too, but she knew it wasn't a good idea. "If they say anything about it being okay, you should come meet my friends."

Ichigo nodded, hoping it would be fine. His protective instincts made him want to meet them to make sure the gods were capable of keeping Hiyori safe. Assuming they really were gods. "After school, I need to talk to a friend anyways. Maybe he can clear things up too."

Hiyori yawned. "I hope you will be able to meet my friends." She stood up. "I think it's time for us to head to bed. Goodnight."

Hiyori went back into her room. Due to already being in her pyjamas, she collapsed into her bed. She wanted to go straight to sleep, but her mind was whirling. She felt like her world had expanded tenfold, now that she understood Shinigami a bit more, and one of her best friends was one too.

She still wasn't sure what to make of Shinigami either. She's met two now, one is her best friend and the other was the one who helped her grandmother move onto the Soul Society. Ichigo was clearly a friends with them, but Hiyori wasn't going to assume that they were all good, not until she's met them and can make the decision herself.

Yawning again, Hiyori snuggled underneath her blanket and closed her eyes. She can think about this more in the morning. She had plenty of time after all.

 **Shout out to** **RojoSamurai for giving me some awesome ideas for this story, that I plan to use. They'll certainly keep things interesting in the chapters to come.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hiyori sat in front of the mirror in her room, brushing her hair as she thought. Now that she's slept and her mind was clearer, the news of Ichigo being a substitute Shinigami wasn't as shocking. Sure, she was still troubled due to what Kofuku had said, but the news now seemed to sink in better than it had the night before.

 _I wonder..._ Hiyori thought. She flashed back to all the times that she had gotten into trouble. _Could Ichigo teach me to fight?_

Hiyori knew how to fight. Even though she stole her moves from her idol Touno, it had helped her before. However, she couldn't help but wonder how much stronger she would be if she got some actual training, instead of just learning from behind her phone's screen. Then, Hiyori would not only become a better fighter in her soul form, but perhaps she could fight while in her body too. If someone else threatened her like the possessed man, she wouldn't have to rely on anyone to protect her.

Hiyori put down her brush and slammed her fist into her palm. "I'm definitely going to ask Ichigo," she decided. It could also – possibly – give her a chance to learn more about Shinigami, which is definitely a topic that has caught her interest.

"Hiyori," Ichigo called from behind the door, knocking a few times. "You ready to leave?"

"Yep, just a second," Hiyori replied, scooping up her bags. Her eyes swept the room, making sure she didn't forget anything before opening the door and joining Ichigo in the hall. Ichigo had his backpack lazily resting on his shoulder, but the position gave Hiyori a chill, as it reminded her how he held his zanpakuto.

Ichigo frowned. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Hiyori nodded. "Just, after last night..." She hesitated, making sure they were alone in the hall. She lowered her voice before continuing, "Well, I guess my mind hasn't fully wrapped around the fact that you're a Shinigami. Kofuku had said she's never heard of a human and Shinigami hybrid, and – as silly as she can be – I do still trust what she has to say."

Ichigo scratched his head, considering her words. "I wouldn't really consider myself a hybrid, but-"

Whatever Ichigo was going to say was interrupted when Hiyori's mom called from the kitchen. "You two better get going or you're going to be late!"

"Okay mom!" Hiyori replied. " C'mon." She shouldered her bag and started walking. "We can talk more about this after I talk with Tenjin."

But after they got outside, Hiyori found that she couldn't wait. She began questioning Ichigo about the Soul Society, and what it was like. Part of it was curiosity, the other part was to be sure her grandma would be happy there.

After hearing Ichigo's explanation, Hiyori nodded, satisfied. Even if her grandmother was in the poorest part of the Rukongai, Hiyori was sure she would be fine.

Before any more questions could be asked, Hiyori's friends, Ami and Yama, found them.

"Hiyori! Ichigo!" They both cried. Then, they both stood to either side of Hiyori, with Yama pushing Ichigo out of the way. "Do you mind if we borrow Hiyori for a moment?" Yama asked, before she and Ami dragged Hiyori ahead, without waiting for an answer.

 _Uh oh,_ was all Hiyori could think.

Once the friends were sure they were all out of earshot, Ami and Yama leaned towards Hiyori. "So..." Ami started. "When are you two going to become official?"

"What?!" Hiyori shrieked, feeling her face flush. Her friends shushed her, so she spoke in a quieter tone. "What are you talking about? I don't like him that way!"

"Oh come on Hiyori," Ami teased. "You two went on a date last night, right? You two have got to like each other."

For a moment, Hiyori felt panicked and confused, because she thought they were talking about her and Ichigo meeting up outside of their bodies. Then she realized they were talking about her showing Ichigo around.

"That wasn't a date!" she protested. "Ichigo hasn't been here in _years!_ I had to show him around!"

"Well, if you're not having him, let Ami have him!" Yama teased.

"Hey!" It was Ami's turn to protest. "Why don't you take him instead?"

"Because I already have a boyfriend," Yama reminded her.

Hiyori rolled her eyes as her friends bickered with each other. "You realize Ichigo could have someone back in Karakura Town, right?"

"You're right!" Yama exclaimed. "Hiyori, are you trying to break up a perfect couple?"

"I don't like him like that!" she exclaimed. "He's only been here a day, remember? That's not enough time for any romantic relationship to start. And he's not here to get a date!"

"Whatever you say Hiyori," Ami said. "But if you ask me, Ichigo is a better option than that younger boy you gave your old textbooks to. At least we've met Ichigo."

Hiyori groaned. "I don't think of anyone like that!"

"Whatever you say," Ami repeated, rolling her eyes. "We'll leave you two lovebirds alone." Having seen the school up ahead, Ami and Yama untangled themselves from Hiyori and hurried away.

"Hey come back here!" Hiyori shouted, flailing her arms as she chased after them.

Ichigo stopped walking, watching them leave with a puzzled expression marking his face.

XXX

Much to Ichigo's relief, the pink haired and the black haired spirits hadn't bothered him yet. It was surprising, since he had doubted they would be done with him after one day, but he was grateful nonetheless. Sadly, he was still left with questions as to why they were watching him, and without them nearby, he wasn't about to get the answers he wanted.

Ichigo zoned out as the teacher talked. He pulled out his combat pass, rolling it around in his fingers. He wondered if it would ever alert him of nearby Hollows while he was here, with Ayakashi roaming the streets instead.

He should've learned from his mistake in the past, when he first received the pass. As it sounded the alarm of a Hollow, Ichigo nearly jumped out of his skin. A shriek built up in his throat but he pushed it down before it had a chance to escape. A quick glance around the room showed that no one had noticed, thankfully.

Ichigo stood up and asked if he could be excused. The teacher gave him a slightly annoyed look, but said yes. Ichigo rushed out of the room, wondering why there hadn't been any questions asked. Then he wondered if he had his dad to thank for that.

Nearly running, Ichigo made it outside, looking around for a place to hide his body. "The one time I wish Kon was here," he growled. He had really wanted to keep a better record at school, but second day, and it seems like it's already been ruined.

Ichigo ran out of the school lot, hoping he might be able to find a better place to hide his body there. Seeing nothing useful nearby, Ichigo slipped in between buildings and pressed his combat pass against his chest. Hopefully, no one will notice his missing soul. Then, he extended his sense, trying to find where the hollow was. Once he tracked it down, he flash stepped toward it, though he was quite surprised with what he saw.

The Hollow was a giant, black centipede though the tail curved upwards like a scorpion's. It had the usual hole in the chest and mask – thin red lines webbing from the eyes. That wasn't surprising. What surprised him was the giant bird Ayakashi that it was fighting.

Ichigo didn't really care what type of bird it was, but he did care about the mask between its blank yellow eyes. He recalled how Hiyori said the ones with masks meant they were under someone's control, though she still wouldn't tell him who was doing that, even though it's been made clear how capable of a fighter Ichigo is.

Now, Ichigo could see the mask a lot clearer than the one that had possessed that man. The mask was white, with some sort of black eye shape in the middle.

The Ayakashi lunged at the Hollow, but it struck with its tail, causing it to crash through the fence of the neighbour's. The Ayakashi squawked, but it wasn't ready to give up the fight yet. It flapped its wings, which was apparently strong enough to create quite the wind. The Hollow struggled against the winds, but it was losing the battle. The only thing that stopped it from flying off was when the Ayakashi stopped due to seeing Ichigo. For whatever reason, the Hollow faced him too.

"So, I doubt you're going to attack me one at time," Ichigo said, getting his answer before he even finished his sentence. Both evil spirits surged forward at the same time. Ichigo grabbed his zanpakuto and jumped up. The Hollow was closer, so he was getting ready to deal with it first. He put his hand against the flat end of his blade, ready to send the sharp end right through the mask, ending it quickly. Unfortunately, the Ayakashi had other plans. It was faster than it looked. Its wing came swinging at Ichigo from the side, swatting him away. His flight only ended when he crashed into a nearby building. He managed to avoid going through the wall, but he caused a large crater that threatened to go through, should anything else touch it. Ichigo peeled himself off the wall and allowed himself to fall to the ground. The fall was only three stories – something that normally wouldn't bother him in his Shinigami form – but as he landed, he regretted it immediately. He winced as he straightened, gritting his teeth through the pain. He can worry about that later.

Scowling, he turned towards the Ayakashi that landed in front of him. It twitched its head, muttering, "Smells... nice... smells... nice..." It took a step closer to Ichigo, but the Hollow sprang from out of nowhere, but not towards him. The Hollow landed on top of the Ayakashi. It flapped its wings, trying to rid itself of the its enemy. Both flailed around wildly. They seemed much more interested in killing each other. If Ichigo left them alone, they might tear apart each other – and the entire street.

However, Ichigo learned that he couldn't just fly in without a plan like he had last time. If he brought himself to attention, they'll become focused on killing him again. He watched the two carefully, undecided on the best course of action.

After a moment of the two spirits wrestling, the Ayakashi was finally able to wrench itself free from under the Hollow. It flew up into the air, landing on top of the building it had thrown Ichigo into. It was much to high for the Hollow, but with its centipede legs, it began to climb.

Ichigo realized this would be the best time to kill them, while they were too far apart to be able to start fighting within a moment's notice.

He launched himself up, holding his sword to the side. He wanted to end this in one quick swoop, before anymore damage could be done.

The Hollow noticed Ichigo, and jumped out of the way. He was just able to stop his momentum, preventing his zanpakuto from touching the building, but it was too close for comfort.

Ichigo growled. The Hollow let out an ear-splitting shriek. All glass shattered instantly. Ichigo dropped his zanpakuto, covering his ears. Panicked screams could be heard all around as people evacuated the buildings, trying to understand what was happening. Cursing, Ichigo ignored the screams and flash stepped to his zanpakuto. He swiped it off the ground and rushed towards the Hollow. Ichigo could see that it was tensing. Before he got too close, he moved his sword across himself, shouting, "Getsuga tenshou!" An arc of blue spirit energy rushed towards the Hollow, destroying it upon impact. The shrieking cut off abruptly, leaving a dull ringing noise in Ichigo's ears.

He glanced up at the Ayakashi, which was squawking and trying to fly away.

"Can't let you do that," Ichigo muttered, flying towards it. He sent another wave of spirit energy – a weaker getsuga – killing the Ayakashi even faster than the hollow. Once again, the area was illuminated by red light before imploding, but at this point Ichigo had learned that was normal, thanks to Hiyori.

"Huh?" Ichigo watched as something fell, coming exactly where the Ayakashi had died. He moved forward, catching it before it could have fallen.

It was the mask he had noticed it earlier.

Ichigo turned it around, looking for anything that would make it capable of controlling spirits – but there was nothing remarkable about it. It looked like an ordinary mask, except that holding it made Ichigo feel unsettled.

 _I don't like it King,_ Zangetsu spoke up. Ichigo could almost feel him shudder.

Which wasn't a good sign.

Even when it was the manifestation of his Quincy powers claiming to be Zangetsu, neither had talked to him unless it was important, and that didn't change when it was revealed his inner hollow was the real Zangetsu. So, if Zangetsu was speaking, Ichigo knew to listen.

 _Get rid of it._

"I agree," Ichigo nodded, studying it one more time to make sure he didn't miss anything. Unsatisfied with his results, but no longer wanting to hold it, the substitute Shinigami did the first thing he could think of – he smashed it against his knee.

The energy released was so powerful, Ichigo spun backwards, almost crashing into the ground.

When he was able to regain his bearings, he only had time to watch a small amount of black spirit energy implode the way it does when an Ayakashi died.

"What the hell was that?!" Ichigo exclaimed, finally overcoming his shock.

He looked around to see if anyone noticed, but everyone that had flooded the streets were chatting among themselves, no doubt trying to figure out what had happened, and whether or not it was done.

Ichigo wiped the dust off himself and his clothes, which was all that remained of the strange mask. "Remind me to never do that again," he grumbled, looking around one more time, feeling at a lost. He scowled, wishing an answer would materialize out of nowhere, but he knew better than to hope for that.

Just before Ichigo could leave the scene, he noticed a blue light. It only lasted a second, and from it, two people appeared.

They were both guys, though one was noticeably younger than the other. The younger one had blonde, messy hair, amber eyes, and wore dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt.

The other one was taller, and he was talking to the person that had apparently called him. He had dark hair tied in a ponytail, startling blue eyes and wore a tracksuit, though the jacket was tied around his waist, revealing his own white t-shirt. Around his neck, he wore a ripped and faded scarf, which Ichigo thought was a... unique... fashion choice, to say the least. He couldn't help but think of how quickly Uryu would try to fix it, and probably only create the opposite of what this guy might actually want.

With a start, Ichigo realized couldn't sense any spirit energy from Tracksuit. He briefly wondered if he was the one spying on him yesterday, but quickly dismissed the thought, remembering what he did manage to figure out about his stalkers.

The blonde looked around, taking in the mess that Ichigo hadn't been able to stop. He turned around, making eye contact with Ichigo. He noticed confusion and anger flicker in his eyes, before he quickly turned back to his friend, whispering to him before pointing in Ichigo's direction.

But by then, the Shinigami was already gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Hiyori was absentmindedly playing with her pencil as the teacher droned on about whatever the subject was that day. Her mind was stuck on what Ichigo had told her.

Earlier during lunch, Ichigo had explained about a fight he had against an Ayakashi and a Hollow. The reason he had told her this was because of the mask that had exploded once he broke it.

Unfortunately, she had never heard of the mask giving off black energy like that. She had no idea what it could possibly mean, but she had a feeling Fujisaki-senpai might be experimenting with the power the masks have. The feeling was almost proven by the fact that he was missing today, claiming to be sick.

Sighing, she knew what she had to do once school was done. Talk to Tenjin and maybe Kofuko. And ask Ichigo to teach her how to fight. She just hoped he'd say yes.

"Hiyori," someone whispered as an attempt to gain her attention. Which worked, Hiyori looked up to see her two friends staring at her.

"What?" she whispered back before noticing that the teacher had stopped talking. Meaning that the rest of the class was a free period.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Probably her new boyfriend Ichigo," Ami teased causing Hiyori to blush.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Uh huh," Yama said, unconvinced. "Then why did you turn red when Ami mentioned his name?"

"Because the word boyfriend and Ichigo don't belong in the same sentence! And for your information, I was thinking about the upcoming match." That caused her two friends to groan. "Honestly, I don't know why you're so interested in wrestling."

Hiyori didn't bother answering, they had this conversation one too many times, it was starting to get old.

They chatted for a while, until eventually the bell rang indicating school was over. Hiyori quickly packed up her belongings and left, speed walking towards Ichigo's class. She ignored Ami and Yama's teasing as she left, she knew they would never stop, even if she got a boyfriend. They would probably claim that Hiyori was cheating on her boyfriend instead. She internally groaned, silently praying her friends wouldn't ever say that.

Once she got to Ichigo's classroom, she peeked through the open door, only to see Ichigo staring out the window, his gaze as unfocused as Hiyori's had been earlier.

She felt bad, even though it wasn't her fault. She didn't know every detail of the fight Ichigo had with the Ayakashi and Hollow, but she could tell it bummed him out. He must've had more trouble in the fight than he would like to admit.

She stepped into the classroom, waving politely to the teacher who was just getting ready to leave. "Come on," she said, stopping in front of Ichigo.

He looked up startled. "What time is it?"

"Its time to leave," Hiyori laughed. "You seem distracted."

Ichigo shrugged, standing up. "Well, I'm just curious about that mask."

"I'll try asking Tenjin if he knows anything about it, though." Hiyori led him out of the room, and the school. "I'm just not sure if he knows much about it. Yato is more likely to know the answer."

"Do you want to ask him tonight too?"

"Well, maybe..." Hiyori drawled out. "But I want to ask you something first." When he stayed silent, she continued. "I want you to teach me how to fight."

"Would your parents be okay with that?"

Hiyori's shoulders drooped in disappointment. She should've known Ichigo would be reluctant. "No, they wouldn't. We'd have to find some time during the day – or maybe night – so they don't find out."

Ichigo pursed his lips. "I don't think it would ruin our schedule too much. We can just claim I don't know my way around or something like that for a while. We can come up with something else as we go along. Do you know anywhere that I could train you so we won't be bothered?"

Hiyori blinked a few times to make sure she had heard right. That had not been the answer she was expecting. "You'll actually teach me?" With a nod from Ichigo, she barely held herself back from jumping in the air. "Yes! Thank you Ichigo!"

Ichigo chuckled. "Let's go somewhere so that we can discuss a schedule. I don't want to miss too much school or homework."

"Or sleep," Hiyori added. "I think mom would kill us if we fell behind in school. I know a place we can eat while we come up with something."

With Hiyori leading the way, they found a cafe. After they ordered and received their food, they sat at a fairly secluded table.

"How well can you fight?" Ichigo asked, taking a sip from his drink.

Hiyori considered the question. "I think I'm a fairly good fighter," she said. "I don't fight a whole lot, and I've only really been successful when it came to Ayakashi. But my soul form makes me faster and stronger."

Ichigo nodded. "Tonight, I think after you talk to that god you mentioned and I talk to Kisuke, we'll have a quick fight. I just want to see your style and stamina. Do you want to use any weapons or...?"

"I want to stick with my fists. I don't have a weapon that comes with my soul like you and I don't have any shinki. I'd like to just use what I have on me."

"Right. I guess that would make more sense. I'm thinking that we should train after dinner, and depending on how long you can last in a fight will determine our hours. Maybe 2 hours? On weekends, we can just train whenever we have free time."

"How did you get that number?!"

"I'm just sensing your spirit energy. You have a pretty high amount, but since you're unused to fighting, you'll lose it pretty quickly. To be honest, a two hour guess is me being generous."

Hiyori's shoulders slumped. "So I won't get a lot of practice everyday, then..."

"Don't worry, the more you practice, the more spirit energy you'll gain."

"You can actually get more?"

"I didn't start out with as much as I have now." Ichigo chuckled.

"Could you teach me how to sense spirit energy too? That sounds like a useful ability." _I could tell how strong a person is then,_ she thought.

"I can try. I've never had to teach anyone though, and I'm not that great at sensing it either."

Hiyori couldn't help smiling. "I guess that'll give you some time to practice too."

Since there wasn't much else to plan, they decided do some homework, just to get it out of the way. Once they were satisfied with the amount they got done and they finished their food, Hiyori decided it was time to talk with Tenjin. She led Ichigo until they were a block away from his shrine. She just didn't want to risk the two being hostile towards each other.

She left Ichigo as he was pulling out his phone to talk to his friend. She jogged towards his shrine, excited to start training.

As she walked into his shrine, Hiyori noticed Tenjin was leaning against a pillar, talking with Tsuyu. When he noticed Hiyori approaching, he straightened. "Ah, hello Hiyori. What brings you to my shrine?"

"Hello, Tenjin, hello Tsuyu. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but I was wondering if you knew why Shinigami and gods aren't allowed to interact."

"Hmm?" Tenjin raised an eyebrow at this. "What has brought upon this question?"

Hiyori froze for a second. It had never occurred to her that Tenjin would question her question, and she wasn't sure how much she should say. Would it be safe to mention Ichigo was a Shinigami? She decided to go with the half-truth, and wait to see if the full truth needed to be revealed. "I have a friend visiting from Karakura Town. Kofuku had mentioned that the gods had started calling it the Town for Shinigami, and Yato said that gods and Shinigami aren't allowed to interact. They never explained why, just saying that chaos would follow if they did. It's been bothering me ever since they said that."

Tenjin stroke his chin in thought. "I suppose chaos would be an accurate word to describe it. The reason we have all silently agreed to stay away from each other is partly due to our shinki. Our views and there own are quite different, and they didn't appreciate us taking shinki. They were afraid that it would ruin the cycle of reincarnation. They also thought that we would only get in the way if we dealt with Ayakashi and creatures called Hollows. Eventually, our differences had brought us to a war that had only brought disaster to both sides and the World of the Living. Both sides started to go out of their way to avoid the other, and finally the world went back into balance."

"Woah. I don't think I've read anything about that anywhere." She couldn't imagine Ichigo being part of anything like the Shinigami who could get involved with something like that either, but then she reminded herself she saw him in action just last night, and that he was still human, not much older then she was.

"And for good reason. It was agreed among the gods that it would be a better idea to keep humans ignorant of our mistake. I suppose the Shinigami had decided to do the same thing."

Hiyori furrowed her brows. "Then why are you telling me this?"

"I see power in knowledge. I'm hoping that by you knowing this, you yourself will stay away from Shinigami, preventing you from delving deeper into the Far Shore."

 _A little too late for that,_ Hiyori couldn't help thinking. After hearing Tenjin say that, she decided it would be best for her to not ask any more questions about the death gods. Then she realized that she had no way on bringing up the exploding mask without Tenjin raising any more questions. "Thank you for answering my question," she finally said, bowing respectfully. "I need to get back to my friend now though."

As she turned to walk away, Tenjin stopped her. "Oh, Hiyori?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be introducing your friend to any of us?"

"I think that much will depend on Yato," she said, hiding her annoyance. "He hasn't bothered me when I'm with my other friends, but this one is living with me for the year. I doubt I could hide them from each other for long."

Tenjin laughed softly. "Yes, I suppose that's true."

As she watched Hiyori's retreating figure, Tsuyu spoke up for the first time since Hiyori's arrival. "I see that you didn't tell her the other reason for the separation."

Tenjin sighed. "With the sorcerer about, I don't trust to speak such a thing aloud. I would rather not risk him finding out the much more dangerous truth."

"And for you telling Hiyori?"

"I have my suspicions. I'm not so sure if we can trust this friend of her's she speaks of."

XXX

As he watched Hiyori walk away, Ichigo pulled out his phone and dialed Kisuke's number. This time it took longer for him to answer.

"Sorry, Ichigo. I've been trying to find stuff about Ayakashi, but I haven't found anything yet. You gave me no time to look," he joked, not even bothering with a hello.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, but at the same time found himself surprised. The thought of Kisuke not knowing anything about something as big as this was strange. He's shown time and time again to always have an answer. "Its alright, I already got some answers." Kisuke listened with interest as Ichigo explained what had happened last night when he discovered Hiyori's ability to leave her body. Ichigo explained everything he could – which he couldn't help but feel that it wasn't a lot.

"This is certainly interesting," Kisuke said when Ichigo finally finished. "However... I should say be careful with who you share this information with."

"Why's that?"

"Well there's a reason we stayed separated. Your presence there might mess things. If you learn anything else, I say even avoid sharing it with even me, as much as I hate to say that." Kisuke sighed. "I wish I knew what your dad was thinking."

Ichigo snorted. "No one knows what he's thinking, ever. Still, I trust him, as hard as he makes it to. Besides, I can't just up and leave."

"That would definitely raise some questions. Do you want me to continue my search, or should I just give up on it entirely?"

Ichigo was silent for a moment, before his fight with the Ayakashi and Hollow popped into his mind. "Actually, there's still something you can do." Ichigo described his fight and the mask. He also added that he had more trouble than he normally would have.

"Hmm, that definitely sounds like something I should look into. Alright, I'll get started on it."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and Ichigo? I think it would be better if you don't call me back. We might want to limit our connection, just in case. The less Shinigami and allies involved, the better. You might be on your own this time. Good luck, and be careful."

"Alright. See ya."

After he hung up, Ichigo stared at his phone, contemplating whether or not he should call his dad and demand some answers. Kisuke's words bounced in his head, the only thing that held him back. Isshin is probably aware of everything that was happening, but Ichigo still didn't want to involve his dad. Not unless he had to.

He sighed and pocketed his phone. He wasn't on his own, he reminded himself. He had Hiyori with him, though he was sure as hell he would protect her, just like he would for each one of his family members and friends.

He made a mental note to call them soon to let them know how he's doing before they got worried.

"Any luck?" Hiyori's voice broke through his thoughts as she approached him.

Ichigo simply shrugged. "Not really. Kisuke had learned nothing since I talked to him yesterday. You?"

"I actually learned something helpful," she smirked before explaining what Tenjin had told her.

"Jeez, seriously?" After Hiyori nodded, he continued, "I can't imagine the Shinigami involved in something like that." He paused, tilting his head a little. "Wait, yeah I can. Never mind."

Hiyori laughed. "What? No faith in them?"

"Not a whole lot," he smiled, shaking his head. "Anyways, we should start some training. Let's see what you're made of."

"Hopefully more than what you're expecting."

The two walked off, looking for somewhere large and secluded, so they could leave their bodies without worry. As they walked, Hiyori wondered if any of her friends knew of a good place, but dismissed the thought. She wouldn't be able to bring it up without questions raised towards Ichigo. She was really starting to hate all of this secrecy. Ichigo wished they were in Karakura Town, just so they could borrow Kisuke's absurdly large basement.

After feeling like they went through the entire town, they decided to head to the edge of town. The two managed to find a deserted clearing, so without wasting another moment, they left their bodies propped up against a few trees alongside their backpacks. Ichigo removed his zanpakuto and lied it next to his body.

"So I don't accidentally use it," he explained.

They went into the middle of the clearing and went into a fighting stance.

"Don't hold anything back," Ichigo warned.

Hiyori simply nodded. Then, without warning, she jumped as high as she could. With a small twirl in the air, she launched herself towards Ichigo foot first, screaming, "JUNGLE SAVATE!" Ichigo simply jumped back. As soon as Hiyori hit the ground, she spun, hoping to sweep Ichigo off his feet but he took another step back, so Hiyori only managed to skim is foot.

Ichigo lurched forward, his fist in the air. Hiyori panicked and rolled out of the way. His fist punched the ground, and so she decided to grab it. Just before Ichigo could wrench his arm free, she kicked her foot up and hit him square on the jaw. Ichigo stumbled back, rubbing his face.

"Sorry," Hiyori said, standing up.

Ichigo gave her a pointed look. "You can't apologize in a fight. That's not going to help you. Besides, that didn't even hurt. I was just surprised you got me so soon."

Hiyori pouted. "Fine, I'll try to hit you harder then."

They lunged towards each other once again.

As they sparred, they failed to notice that they were no longer alone.

"There you are Hiyori!" Yato waved his eyes closed. He had searched almost everywhere – mainly her house and school – before giving up, but much to Yato's pleasant surprise, he had heard her yelling close to Kofuku's shop.

Yukine's shoulders were slumped. "You couldn't you have waited another day?" He turned towards his master. "With her friend over, she'll probably want to spend at least a few days with just him."

"But by then she might have forgotten about us!" Yato protested.

Yukine rolled his eyes. "I doubt that." Hearing another yell from Hiyori, Yukine looked forward, his eyes going wide. "Huh? Yato! Look!"

Yato's eyes snapped open upon hearing the panic in Yukine's voice. He narrowed his gaze upon seeing Hiyori pinned down by this orange haired Shinigami.

"Sekki!"

Ichigo and Hiyori looked up curiously.

"Wait-!" Hiyori shouted, but it was too late.

Ichigo glared up at Yato as the twin blades Sekki were held against his neck.


End file.
